It all started when supporters of SCHIP decided to have Graeme respond to President Bush's weekly radio address. Here's an excerpt from Graeme's two minute response :

"Hi, my name is Graeme Frost. I'm 12 years old and I live in Baltimore, Maryland. Most kids my age probably haven't heard of CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program. But I know all about it, because if it weren't for CHIP, I might not be here today. CHIP is a law the government made to help families like mine afford healthcare for their kids. Three years ago, my family was in a really bad car accident. My younger sister Gemma and I were both hurt. I was in a coma for a week and couldn't eat or stand up or even talk at first. My sister was even worse. I was in the hospital for five-and-a-half months and I needed a big surgery... But even though I was hurt badly, I was really lucky. My sister and I both were.... I don't know why President Bush wants to stop kids who really need help from getting CHIP. All I know is I have some really good doctors. They took great care of me when I was sick, and I'm glad I could see them because of the Children's Health Program. I just hope the President will listen to my story and help other kids to be as lucky as me."

That's when the media went crazy. Bloggers started saying that the Frosts were too wealthy for SCHIP because Graeme and his sister attended private school. They charged that the Frosts live in a neighborhood where some of the houses are expensive and that the family had purchased a commercial space in 1999. Even Senate Republicans jumped into the fray, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell telling his staff to send emails to media encouraging them to look into the Frosts' background.

The assertions weren't true. The Frost children attend private school on scholarship, and the Frosts actually bought their home for $55,000 back in 1990 when the neighborhood was still somewhat run-down.

But, for the sake of argument, let's say that the bloggers were right. What if Graeme's parents had made bad decisions, spending money on things like private schools for their kids? And what if his father did in fact make more money with his woodworking business than they initially claimed? And what if, as this blogger charged, the Frosts actually had a recently remodeled kitchen with "granite counter tops and glass front cabinets?" Would it matter on a larger policy scale?

We know that ensuring access to preventative medical care—the kind you can only get if you have insurance—actually saves the public money in the long run. When people don't have health care coverage, illnesses that might have been caught early or prevented are allowed to fester until the sick person ultimately lands in the emergency room where his or her care will be far more expensive. Does Graeme's anecdotal story—a disproven anecdote no less—negate what we know is best for the long term wellbeing of our children?

Although most seventh graders haven't given the Weekly Democratic Address, Graeme is still 12, and when he landed in the hospital in a coma three years ago he should have been covered by health insurance no matter what kind of good or bad parents he had. America calls itself a land of equal opportunity, and that should include making sure that all kids have access to quality, affordable health care.

Graeme and his sister Gemma were lucky that they could receive the medical care that they desperately needed. But what about the 3.8 million other children who would have received health care coverage under SCHIP but would otherwise be uninsured if the legislation doesn't pass?

Here's a description of the SCHIP legislation from TheMiddleClass.org:

"The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and reauthorizes it for five years. SCHIP, founded in 1997, currently provides health insurance coverage to 6 million children from low- and middle-income families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private health insurance. The program is jointly financed by the federal and state governments and is administered by the states. This bill expands SCHIP eligibility, enabling states to enroll an additional 3.8 million children. Coverage for dental and mental health care is guaranteed. While the bill makes it easier to enroll pregnant women in SCHIP, it phases out coverage for low-income parents who are currently covered in some states. The bill also provides federal incentives for states to make intensive efforts to enroll more of the lowest-income uninsured children in Medicaid. The legislation costs $60 billion over five years, $35 billion above the current level of funding. The increased funding is paid for by a 61-cent increase in cigarette taxes. The program is not open to undocumented immigrants."

This bill, which passed in both the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, was vetoed by the President on October 3. The bill is was renegotiated in the House and is awaiting Bush's signature.

This bill comes at a time when health insurance is more expensive than ever. Both poor and middle class families have struggled to pay health insurance costs as employers have been dropping company sponsored plans and forced families to fend for themselves. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there has been an 83% increase in the premium that the average American employee pays for health care coverage. This has increased four times faster than average wages. In the face of these economic hardships, it's imperative that these families are offered affordable medical coverage.

Health insurance is beneficial not only to the 6.6 million children that were covered by SCHIP in 2006 , or the 9.4 million uninsured children age 18 and under in America today, but to society as a whole. Preventative care, including the dental and mental health care benefits covered under the proposed legislation, is an investment in a healthier and more productive country. It also saves government money from emergency room visits where the state would end up footing the bill. Additionally, healthy children have been shown to pay more attention in school, which is crucial to academic success and development LINK. You can read more about what DMI has written on SCHIP here and here.

So regardless of whether parents and employers make good decisions, don't we want to provide health care for all the children of America? SCHIP may not be perfect -- there are still limits on what children are covered -- but it's a giant step in the right direction.